I just spent two weeks on a diet. That’s right, I said it out loud. I am a slim girl yet I was ‘watching what I eat’. Gasp in horror! Go on, you know you want to. Because it’s ludicrous for somone who is not overweight to go on a diet, right? It is unnecessary and it is rude! Rude to all the people out there who might actually need to diet!
During my travels some friends and I found ourselves in Croatia, and on this particular day, unmotivated, we visited the cinema to watch ‘The Very Bad Trip – Part II’ – that is – The Hangover Part II. It puzzled me then and it puzzles me still, who decides on the sometimes very special movie titles when they’re translated into different languages. I’ve come across many more in Austria, so here are some of my favourites – and I’ll translate them literally so you can enjoy them the same way I do.
Now tell me, would you do it if you had the opportunity? Would you really?
Would you happily trade less money for more time? And if you did, how would you feel? Would it make you feel lazy? How would you react when everyone else was groaning about the long, last day of the workweek? Would you feel like you weren’t contributing to society and being selfish?
On the opposing end of last week’s post about why I was always destined to live in Austria, there are also plenty of reasons why I should not be here at all! Here are the top 10 reasons why I can never be a true European.
Even though I’m born and bred in Australia and actually never had any desire to live elsewhere, looking back now it seems that there are a number of signs that were always pointing me toward Austria…
We started a tradition when I arrived in Austria of visiting Reiters Supreme spa resort at the end of each year. In winter, snow falls softly, all outside is quiet and the trees are tinged with frost… time to get some R&R!
Reiters Supreme is a 5-star plus resort located in Southern Burgenland in Austria with a spa area that makes you want to throw your clothes off in joy, a dining experience that destroys any plan of a pre-Christmas diet and beds that just make you want to… sleep.
Austrians have some strange folklore, but perhaps the one which is the most disturbing, especially for kids, is the Krampus. Saint Nicholas is the good guy that rewards the well-behaved kids with gifts on December 6th. But instead of simply telling kids in Austria that he simply won’t come if they are naughty, what they get told is the following:
“If you are naughty the Krampus will find you, pack you in his sack, and take you back with him to hell.” Continue reading
I honestly thought snow would be the worst thing I would encounter when driving in Austria over winter.
I was wrong.
While snow does provide its own unique challenges, I have to say, in my first year of driving it wasn’t nearly as bad as the fog (Nebel, in German) – the dreaded, nasty fog. Austria, as it turns out, with its scenic vista of mountains and lakes, is a veritable fog-magnet.
If you’re a goose and happen to find yourself in Austria in November, you might want to start hunting around for a good hiding spot!
In November it’s tradition to eat goose, with every restaurant and guesthouse featuring goose on the menu, often as a complete meal that involves various courses of goose deliciousness.
I often get asked which English words have German origins.
I’m not talking about ‘baby’ or ‘party’, where they’re exactly the same word, I’m talking about the words you might think are English, when in actual fact they are German. You could easily google a list, but it’s probably more fun to read my Top 10.
